Han Confucianism

1
Han Confucianism the Disillusionment of the
Later Han thinkers

• IAS 2540 / UGD 2270 History of Traditional
  Chinese Thought

2

• Han Confucianism was an eclectic school mixed
  with Legalist tradition with the Natural School
  of yin-yang wu-hsing, Taoist Thought.
• According to Prof. Mou, the late former Professor
  of History at the Chinese University of Hong
  Kong, Han Confucianism appears to be Confucianism
  but it is just the wrapping, deep inside, it
  has legalist practice.

3

• Nevertheless, when we come to the history of the
  Later (Eastern) Han, Many thinkers were in the
  mood of disillusionment with the environment and
  they considered their government corrupt. They
  blamed the ruling regime for failing to curb the
  civil, for failing to reform. Some even doubted
  the prevailing Confucian doctrines.

4
Han Confucianism could be divided into 3 periods

• (1)Emperors Kao-tsu, Hui, Wen, Ching (r.
  206-141 B.C.)
• Han Confucianism was Confucianism Taoist
  Huang-Lao (wu-wei, so, let the people rest)
• (2)Emperors Wu to Wang Mang (who abdicated the
  last emperor of the western Han) (r. 140B.C.
  A.D. 9)
• Han Confucianism was Confucianism was
  Confucianism yin-yang wu-hsing superstitious
  theories of omens

5

• (3)Later (Eastern) Han (200 Years)
• Han Confucianism was Confucianism with
  pessimistic views disillusionment neo-Taoism
• Originally, the basic attitude underlying
  Classical Confucianism was one of optimism. But
  down to the Later Han thinkers, we could easily
  feel the sense of disillusionment. Wang Fu,
  Chien-fu lun, began to critically re-examine the
  legacy of Classical Han thought.

6

• Indeed, from the Former (Western) Han to the
  Later (Eastern) Han, we witnessed that Han
  Confucianism had gone from optimism to pessimism.
  Toward the end of the Later Han, some thinker
  became so disillusioned that they doubted whether
  there was any way of overcoming disorder and
  chaos.
• Another clear indication of the Later Han
  pessimism or disillusionment was the increasing
  attention given to the concept of fate (ming).

7

• For instance, Yang Hsing wrote the Fa-yen with
  pessimistic views on human nature, mind, and
  human affairs. He considered fate as being
  determined by Heaven. He restricted the meaning
  of fate to that with which man has nothing to
  do.

8

• In the later Han, there were scholars who were so
  disillusioned with court politics that they
  refused to serve in government office.
• As the later Han dynasty was declining, the
  disillusionment became more widespread, and more
  individuals retreated to establish the Lesser
  Unity for themselves.